England captains honoured as Women’s European Championship final quickly sells out

Tickets for the Women’s European Championship final at Wembley this summer sold out within an hour of going on general sale on Monday.

A significant number of tickets had already been purchased through a pre-sale and ballot last year, with the remainder released at 8am to mark 100 days to go to the start of the tournament.

The final on July 31 was sold out by 9am, while organisers later announced that all tickets for the group matches between England and Northern Ireland in Southampton on July 15 and England and Norway in Brighton on July 11 had also been snapped up.

England also play Austria at Old Trafford on July 6, with the tournament on course to smash the previous attendance record for a women’s Euros. The news comes a day after more than 20,000 fans headed to Old Trafford to watch Manchester United take on Everton in the first Women’s Super League match in front of supporters played at the famous stadium.

Four games, including three group fixtures and a knockout game, will be played at both Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane and Rotherham’s New York Stadium.

England sponsor Nationwide has launched a campaign celebrating 50 years of the national team’s captains, from Sheila Parker to current incumbent Steph Houghton.

Parker, Houghton, Carol Thomas, Gillian Coultard, Faye White and Mary Phillip will all have commemorative plaques installed in their honour in their home towns.

Parker’s plaque will be at the football ground in Chorley, and she told the PA news agency: “It’s really nice and a surprise.”

Parker captained England’s first official women’s team in their inaugural match against Scotland in November 1972 and made 33 appearances for her country.

She enjoys watching football on TV these days, and said: “As long as they play football for the joy of playing football, that to me is the main thing.”